Chief of Party, MEL

About Kaizen

The Kaizen Company is an incubator for innovative, scalable solutions that address emerging market challenges and opportunities. Our proven solutions catalyze locally-driven, organizational and institutional performance improvements, and shift the development model into one that is bottom-up and ongoing. We leverage existing knowledge along with new technologies and innovative business models to support local reform that is sustained through market forces. Since our inception, we have provided support to more than 100 government, private-sector, and non-profit organizations in markets worldwide. We have created solutions that achieve outcomes across a broad range of sectors including education, governance, economic growth, environment and water, energy, and global law enforcement. At Kaizen, organizational development is a foundational theme in all the work we do regardless of sector. Kaizen’s MEL practice area is rapidly growing with a portfolio of prime and subcontracts around the world.

Scope of Work

The Kaizen Company is seeking multiple Chief of Party candidates to serve as Technical Leads for several upcoming projects in Kaizen’s global MEL portfolio. They will be an integral part of Kaizen’s leadership team and help the company win and implement projects in the United States and abroad. Functions of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Leads pursuit of prime and subcontractor new business eftforts across Kaizen’s MEL practice area; contributing to project implementation, client management as needed. 
• Leading new business pursuits for prime and subcontracts in the MEL space;
• Serving as a thought leader to improve Kaizen’s MEL services and develop and implement innovative approaches for our clients;
• Cultivating new clients for Kaizen’s MEL capacity;
• Providing strategic guidance for Kaizen as a member of Kaizen’s leadership team working closely with Technical Directors and the executive team;
• Other activities to advance Kaizen’s innovations, efficiency, effectiveness, and growth.

Qualifications and Experience

• Proven success overseeing MEL-related projects including managing staff, cultivating client relationships, contributing to and providing quality control for contract deliverables, and managing implementation challenges;
• Proven success leading new business activities in the MEL space including conducting capture, leading proposal teams, writing technical approaches, and developing budgets;
• Proven success developing, implementing, and improving innovative tools, techniques, and approaches in international development or related areas;
• A natural inclination toward data-driven innovation, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and outside-the-box thinking;
• Desire to lead and grow Kaizen’s MEL practice area into an industry-leading position;
• A Bachelor's degree in a field related to development, monitoring and evaluation, and/or social sciences – advanced degrees preferred;
• Minimum of eight (8) years of experience as a specialist delivering services in monitoring, evaluation, Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) for USG clients;
• Experience living and working internationally in countries where USAID is active;
• Understanding of USG compliance requirements, rules, and regulations; Interdisciplinary experience across subject areas relevant to international development such as communities in transition, health, rule of law, education, energy, and agriculture; Private sector experience (i.e., serving private sector clients with a firm not focused primarily on work for the USG); 
• Robust network of MEL sector professionals and organizations – both implementers and clients; 
• Professional certifications and recognition relevant for MEL; 
• Fluency in spoken and written English language is required, additional languages preferred.

This position will be 100% remote until Kaizen reopens its office once COVID-19 closure requirements are lifted in Washington, DC. No phone calls, please. Only finalists will be contacted.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified.

The Kaizen Company is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sex, ancestry, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, veteran status, or military status.

Here at The Kaizen Company, we find strength in our diversity. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive working environment in which everyone has an equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. We know that we can only do development differently if we are open to and inclusive of new and unique perspectives. We encourage candidates of all abilities, ages, gender identities and expressions, national origins, races and ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations to apply. Further, we urge parents and non-parents, married and unmarried, those from different or non-traditional educational backgrounds, and persons of all other diverse identities or experiences to apply. The Kaizen Company is an equal opportunity employer.